PSY Mod 4 Poster

77foxtrot

ch2.pptx

Home >Psychology homework help >PSY Mod 4 Poster

PART TWO: DEATH

EXPERIENCING DEATH IN AMERICA

Corr, Corr, & Doka, Death & Dying, Life & Living, 8th edition

Experiencing Death in America

Death-related experiences include:

Death-related encounters

How do we come upon or meet with death in our lives?

Death-related attitudes

What are our feelings or outlooks about death?

Death-related practices

What behaviors & rituals do we associate with death?

DEATH&DYING, LIFE & LIVING

Eighth edition

Chapter 2

Changing Encounters with Death

Examples of Two Different Types of Recent Encounters with Death

Chapter Objectives

To define and explain death-related encounters as a component of death-related experiences

To identify principal features of death-related encounters in the United States early in the 21st century

To indicate some ways in which these principal features have changed over time

To describe six factors associated with these changes

Death-Related Encounters in 21st Century America

Five principal features define contemporary encounters with death

Death rates

Average life expectancy

Causes of death

Dying trajectories

Place where death occurs

Encounters with Death in 21st Century American Society

Death Rates

Number of people who die:

Within a specific time period

Ex: Day, month, year, 10 years, 100 years, etc.

Within a specific group

Ex: Age, race, gender, social Class

Typically expressed per 1,000 or 100,000 persons

Death rates in the United States in 2014:

Crude/unadjusted = 8.0 per 1,000

Age-adjusted = 724.6 per 100,000

Changes in Encounters with Death in American Society (1 of 7)

Death Rates ~ Overall

Important Changes

Dramatic reduction in overall death rates since 1900

47% decline from 1900 to 1954

11% decline from 1954 to 2014

more than 52% decline from 1900 to 2014

Significant Implications

Americans personally encounter death much less frequently than in previous generations

Death often seems strange & alien

Changes in Encounters with Death in American Society (2 of 7)

Death Rates ~ Gender & Social Class

The gender gap remains

Age-adjusted death rates for males are notably higher than those for females

The social class gap remains

Members of the upper and middle social class tend to have lower death rates than those in lower social classes

Changes in Encounters with Death in American Society (3 of 7)

Death Rates ~ Dramatic Reductions

Infant Death Rates

Infant death rate was 28 times higher in 1900 than in 2014

Nevertheless, with 5.82 infant deaths per 1,000 live births the United States lags behind 26 other countries, 8 of which had infant death rates less than half those of the United States

Maternal Death Rates

Down from 608/100,000 in 1915 to 26.4 in 2015 (c. 1063 deaths)

More than half of all maternal deaths are thought to be preventable

Changes in Encounters with Death in American Society (4 of 7)

Average Life Expectancy (ALE)

An estimate of the average number of years a group of people will live

From the early 20th century to 2014, overall ALE in the United States increased from <50 years to 78.8 years (>50% gain in just over 100 years)

Primarily due to a major decrease in the numbers of deaths occurring during the early years of life

Differences remain, e.g., females vs. males; Caucasian Americans vs. African Americans

As ALE increases, the elderly are more & more perceived as “the dying” in our society

Changes in Encounters with Death in American Society (5 of 7)

Leading Causes of Death

1900: Communicable Diseases—acute diseases transmitted from person to person

2014: Degenerative Diseases—a set of chronic conditions or causes

long-term wearing out of body organs

deterioration associated with aging, lifestyle, & environment

Changes in Encounters with Death in American Society (6 of 7)

Dying Trajectories

Patterns of dying are defined by:

Duration: the time between the onset of dying & the arrival of death

The “Living-Dying interval"

Shape: the course of the dying process

Can one predict how that process will advance?

Is death is expected or unexpected?

Typical Dying Trajectories by Cause

Communicable Disease

Degenerative Disease

Different Causes of Death are associated with different Dying Trajectories

Changes in Encounters with Death in American Society (7 of 7)

Place of Death

1900: Death mainly occurred “At Home”

Family & loved ones were active participants in:

Caring for the dying person

Preparing the deceased person’s body for death rituals

Since the last half of the 20th Century: Death now most often occurs in a hospital or long-term care facility (i.e., is “Institutionalized”)

Professionals play critical roles in:

Caring for dying persons

Organizing post-death rituals

Families & loved ones are often reduced to spectators

Factors Associated with Changes in Encounters with Death

Six Factors

Industrialization

Public health measures

Preventative health care for individuals

Rise of modern cure-oriented medicine

Nature of contemporary families

Lifestyle